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Naji, M. |
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Motta, Antonella |
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Aletan, Dirar |
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Mohamed, Tarek |
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Ertürk, Emre |
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Taccardi, Nicola |
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Petrov, R. H. | Madrid |
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Bih, L. |
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Casati, R. |
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Kočí, Jan | Prague |
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Azam, Siraj |
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Ospanova, Alyiya |
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Blanpain, Bart |
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Ali, M. A. |
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Popa, V. |
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Rančić, M. |
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Ollier, Nadège |
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Azevedo, Nuno Monteiro |
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Landes, Michael |
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Sharma, Bhargy
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article
Proton conductivity of the protein-based velvet worm slime
Abstract
<p>The properties of complex bodily fluids are linked to their biological functions through natural selection. Velvet worms capture their prey by ensnaring them with a proteinaceous fluid (slime). We examined the electrical conductivity of slime and found that dry slime is an insulator. However, its conductivity can increase by up to 10<sup>6</sup> times in its hydrated state, which can be further increased by an order in magnitude under acidic hydration (pH ≈ 2.3). The transient current measured using ion-blocking electrodes showed a continuous decay for up to 7 h, revealing slime's nature as a proton conducting material. Slime undergoes a spontaneous fibrilization process producing high aspect ratio ≈ 10<sup>5</sup> fibers that exhibit an average conductivity ≈2.4 ± 1.1 mS cm<sup>−1</sup>. These findings enhance our understanding of slime as a natural biopolymer and provide molecular-level guidelines to rationally design biomaterials that may be employed as hygroscopic conductors.</p>